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Maianthemum dilatatum
Also called May Lily, Pacific May Lily, Deerberry, Two Leaved False Solomon's Seal, Western Lily Of The Valley, Deer Heart
A low, spreading rhizomatous perennial native to the Pacific Northwest and parts of Asia, valued as a shade groundcover. Its key trait is spreading rhizomes, so it needs containing in garden beds.
Maianthemum dilatatum (snakeberry, two-leaved Solomon's seal, deer heart, false lily of the valley, or western lily of the valley) is a common rhizomatous perennial flowering plant that is native to western North America from northern California to the Aleutian Islands, and Asia across the Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan, and Korea. It grows in coastal temperate rainforests, and is often the dominant groundcover plant in Sitka Spruce forests.
The plant has many ethnobotanical uses. The roots and leaves were used medicinally, and the berries were occasionally used for food. Native Americans used the plant to treat wounds and eyestrain.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Maianthemum dilatatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
